1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a movable bullet trap for use in a shoot house or other environment so as to prolong the life of the shoot house, etc. More specifically, the present invention relates to a movable bullet trap for use in high shooting density environments.
2. State of the Art
One of the most dangerous situations for a police officer or other law enforcement official is responding to a domestic disturbance or other call that involves entry into an apartment or house. A substantial percentage of all officers killed in the line of duty are killed while responding to domestic disturbances and other situations which require the officer to enter a home while occupants are present. The officers are often killed by a jealous husband, a boyfriend or other occupant of the home.
Likewise, one of the most dangerous environments for military personnel is urban warfare. In such a situation, military personnel often have to clear the house room by room to ensure that there are no terrorists or combatants hiding in the house. This is very different from battlefield conditions where the enemy can usually be seen and where explosives can be used with minimal risk to civilians.
Proper training of law enforcement officers and military personnel provides a marked improvement in reaction time and protocol in properly clearing a house. To this end shoot houses have been developed which provide officers with the ability to train with 360 degree live fire in a bullet trap that resembles the inside of house. The officer, soldier, etc., can enter a room to find nothing, an innocent bystander, and/or a target resembling an armed person posing a threat.
In many situations, the firing in a shoot house will tend to have fairly high density in the area surrounding the target representing the threat. In a scenario where a large number of officers or military personnel are being trained, hundreds or even thousands of rounds may be fired at one general area of a room of the shoot house. This firing can take a significant toll on destructible portions of the shoot house and cause training to stop while the shoot house is repaired.
To resolve these concerns, portable bullet traps, such as that generally indicated at 4 in FIG. 1A, have been developed. The trap 4 includes a box 8 which is made from plate steel or other bullet proof material forming a frame with a plate steel backing. The box 8 is attached to a pair of arms 12 to raise it to the desired height. One side is left open. The opening is covered with a facing material (not shown in FIG. 1A), such as plywood, particle board, plastic sheets, etc. The target representing the threat is mounted on or in front of the facing material 12 so that bullets fired by law enforcement officials, etc., that strike the target pass through the facing material and are contained in the steel box 8.
One disadvantage of the portable traps 4 is that they are relatively heavy. A portable target 4 having an opening which is 2 ft.×3 ft. can easily weigh nearly 200 lbs. Thus it is difficult to move the target to a different desired location. For this reason, the target is often left in one place during training. Using a target in a specific location too long during training can be undesirable because it preconditions the officer or soldier and causes them to act based on prior scenarios, rather than on the instant scenario.
In an attempt to resolve these concerns, bullet traps have been developed, such as shown in FIG. 1B, in which the trap 4′ is placed on a stand 20. The bottom of the stand 20 has wheels 24 which allow the target to be rolled from one position to another. Stand 20 makes relocating the target much easier. However, in order to avoid the trap tipping over during shooting, the stand 20 must have a relatively broad base. This requires the target to be placed out as much as 2-3 ft. from the shoot house wall. Because of the expense in constructing a shoot house, many rooms in a shoot house are relatively small and space is at a premium. In a small room, a target attached to the facing material 30 may be only a few feet from the entrance and cannot be easily placed in a corner where a threat might hide. Thus, it is often desirable to have the target as close to the wall as possible.
Still another concept in portable traps is shown in FIG. 1C. Frustrated by the loss of space caused by rolling targets, some law enforcement training facilities have actually cut off the stand and hung the target 4 from the wall of the shoot house by metal braces 34 and the like. While such configuration adds space, it requires a substantial amount of effort to move the target to another location. Additionally, depending on the configuration of the attachment of the braces 34, it may prevent a trap from being placed in a corner of the shoot house if desired.
Thus there is a need for an improved portable trap for use in shoot houses, and the like, and for a system for facilitating the movability of the trap. Such a trap should be relatively simple to use and relatively inexpensive.
Additionally, there is a need for a portable target which improves bullet deceleration.